Are 20-40 creparcels available in any cooler areas?

[Happy in Wyoming]

Cochise County, as far from Sierra Vista as possible, seems to be the best so far. I've seen a few suitable properties; and I've learned from experience, that more of anything will come along. There are a few exceptions; but they're rare. I'm certainly interested enough to make the trip. I haven't been down there in years; and when I was, I wasn't looking for real estate.

As far as actually moving, I'll wait until February to see what the Wyoming legislature does. House in my specific area are bringing decent prices; but it can take a while. I have a great place right now in a really beautiful area. About half of the place is steep and hilly. The only physical feature I don't like is the wind. Spring can feel cold until June, as it did this year. I read about the winter and spring wind around Young, so nixed that one. If I don't move to Arizona, I'll probably move back to the western side of the Continental Divide in Wyoming. It's not so windy.

I definitely plan to make a visit to Arizona soon. I want to get personal impressions of the people. the laws represent one facet of a society; popular feelings and culture represent another. Arizona is definitely calling.

Again, I really appreciate the ideas folks here have given to me and hope to hear more.

[NW Crow]

Maybe south of Pearce?

[Happy in Wyoming]

Maybe. I'm at the point that I need to see it; and I know that I can't take the time off for several months.

[crazyme4878]

Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming

Cochise County, as far from Sierra Vista as possible, seems to be the best so far. I've seen a few suitable properties; and I've learned from experience, that more of anything will come along. There are a few exceptions; but they're rare. I'm certainly interested enough to make the trip. I haven't been down there in years; and when I was, I wasn't looking for real estate.

.... I read about the winter and spring wind around Young, so nixed that one. If I don't move to Arizona, I'll probably move back to the western side of the Continental Divide in Wyoming. It's not so windy.

Just an FYI: I have lived in the Sierra Vista area (Hereford) and Young. Overall, the wind is much worse in the Sierra Vista area. I would take a gander at about 75% worse (total guesswork, just based on my experience). I don't see the wind as much of an issue in Young--any more than anywhere else in Arizona. (Actually, I'm a little perplexed--I'm wondering where you read that the wind was really bad particularly in Young?) Plus, you can choose lots that are more buffeted in Young, then in the entire Sierra Vista area--I don't think you can get away from the wind at all there.

Now, you are not interested in Sierra Vista exactly, but I would do a lot more research on the issue for anywhere in Cochise County since it matters a lot to you.

As a final note, I have only had one winter in Young, but it wasn't overly bad and it was an extremely wet winter at that. Personally, as a person who originally came from northern states, I find the summers to be more unbearable than anything winter can dish out here. I couldn't stand the heat in Cochise County. It is more tolerable here.

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by crazyme4878

Just an FYI: I have lived in the Sierra Vista area (Hereford) and Young. Overall, the wind is much worse in the Sierra Vista area. I would take a gander at about 75% worse (total guesswork, just based on my experience). I don't see the wind as much of an issue in Young--any more than anywhere else in Arizona. (Actually, I'm a little perplexed--I'm wondering where you read that the wind was really bad particularly in Young?) Plus, you can choose lots that are more buffeted in Young, then in the entire Sierra Vista area--I don't think you can get away from the wind at all there.

Now, you are not interested in Sierra Vista exactly, but I would do a lot more research on the issue for anywhere in Cochise County since it matters a lot to you.

As a final note, I have only had one winter in Young, but it wasn't overly bad and it was an extremely wet winter at that. Personally, as a person who originally came from northern states, I find the summers to be more unbearable than anything winter can dish out here. I couldn't stand the heat in Cochise County. It is more tolerable here.

When I say that It's windy here I mean that most winter and spring days the wind blows 20-30 miles per hour, gusting to 40-60. There are days when it gusts to 80 or more. Winds have been clocked at well over 100 mph. I am not exaggerating. The worst times are Winter and Spring. There are probably 200 days or more with high winds and low wind chill. I like to go outside. But around here, I certainly can't lollygag around for about eight months of the year.

I do prefer cooler summers. There are six-eight weeks here of hot weather, mostly 80-90 but sometimes higher. My ideal is 70 for a high and 20-50 for a low. I'll start looking more in the northern area; and I thank you for your advice. May I ask in what part of Northern Arizona you live?

I just checked Flagstaff. The humidity seems rather high (I remember that from a trip); but other than that the climate is excellent. Winds aren't high according to the chart. Frankly, it looks to be like Colorado. It does seem liberal; but it's a university town. The only real negative is the crime rate; it's stratospheric. I'm wondering how this would affect areas some distance away.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Happy in Wyoming

Cochise County, as far from Sierra Vista as possible, seems to be the best so far. I've seen a few suitable properties; and I've learned from experience, that more of anything will come along. There are a few exceptions; but they're rare. I'm certainly interested enough to make the trip. I haven't been down there in years; and when I was, I wasn't looking for real estate.

As far as actually moving, I'll wait until February to see what the Wyoming legislature does. House in my specific area are bringing decent prices; but it can take a while. I have a great place right now in a really beautiful area. About half of the place is steep and hilly. The only physical feature I don't like is the wind. Spring can feel cold until June, as it did this year. I read about the winter and spring wind around Young, so nixed that one. If I don't move to Arizona, I'll probably move back to the western side of the Continental Divide in Wyoming. It's not so windy.

I definitely plan to make a visit to Arizona soon. I want to get personal impressions of the people. the laws represent one facet of a society; popular feelings and culture represent another. Arizona is definitely calling.

Again, I really appreciate the ideas folks here have given to me and hope to hear more.

The area north of Douglas and south of Wilcox is pretty wide open and remote feeling but with a relatively mild climate. Cochise Country may indeed be a good fit for you providing you choose a more remote area as mentioned.

Ken

[crazyme4878]

I live in Young, which is SE of Payson. This is only my third year in Arizona, but it seems like weather and temperature is very tempermental, relying heavily on the elevation and location within the landscape (top of the mountain, side of it, little valley, big valley, etc.). For instance, Sierra Vista area is so windy because the wind comes flying down the Huachucas. All of Cochise County (I believe) has this formation of basin and range, making me assume that most areas there would have the wind issue. Does it matter which side of the mountain you are on? Or which side of the valley? I'm not sure. I was in Hereford, and we would get 50-60 mph winds, with micro bursts. Now, in Young, 50-60 is a rare extreme. For one, the valley is tiny, plus we are in the mountains, so overall there is less wind. The important thing to remember is that no matter what, it is a warm wind. I lived in northern MN, WI, and MI, so I know what a cold winter wind is like--I have never experienced that here.

If your ideal is 70, then look in the high elevations in northern AZ. However, that also means that you will have snow in the winter (snow that doesn't go away). (When posters here say that Cochise County has great temperatures, they mean compared to Tucson and Phoenix--it is still extremely hot for those who enjoy cooler temperatures.)

I guess the best way to go about it is to find the elevation that will give you your ideal temperature range, then search for towns at that elevation. Young (and Payson) is at 5100 feet or so. The temperature for most of the summer stays in the low to mid 90s. Still hot for me, but doable. The trade-off is that we have fabulous, long autumns, pine trees, and yearround creeks with swimming holes. We get some snow fall, but not alot, with 2-3 snowfalls that stick around for a couple days before melting.

You might want to check out the White Mountains. I have heard that Alpine is suppose to be gorgeous. I think it deserves some good internet searching at least. Show Low--from what I have seen--seems okay, but I have stuck to the shopping districts.

I was just in Flagstaff yesterday--the traffic is a killer! As far as temperatures go, I would just be careful in looking at areas outside of the Flastaff area--again, it all comes down to elevation. You may be within 30 minutes or so of Flagstaff, but is the elevation still at the cool 7000 feet, or has it dropped to the 5000 feet of Winslow?

Sorry, this was long. Let me know if you want to know anything more about the Young area, or Payson.

[ckzona]

Do not let weather charts fool you about the wind in Flagstaff. THe winds there in April and may can at times be horrendous. Check out some towns just north of the white mountains such as Snowflake or Concho.